A "persistent" thief who burgled two houses within three months of being released from prison has gone back to jail.

Sentencing Raymond Abbott-Moore to three years and nine months imprisonment, Deputy Judge Michael Stokes QC told him: "You're wasting what should be the best years of your life.

"You're wasting it because you can't control your drug problem and your need for other people's money."

Where did Abbott-Moore target first?

Leicester Crown Court was told that within an hour of stealing a purse from a student's shared home in Wentworth Road, Dane Hills, Leicester, Abbott-Moore was using the victim's contactless bank card to buy two bottles of whisky from a convenience store around the corner.

He also pleaded guilty to burglary at a house in Hamelin Road, West Knighton, Leicester, when a purse, mobile phone, a charging cable and cash were stolen, on June 4.

What did the prosecution say?

Priya Bakshi, prosecuting, said the householder returned after going out for an hour, only realising items were stolen when a neighbour sent her a message saying they had found her bus pass in the street.

She went outside and found her empty purse discarded nearby, although the phone containing cherished family photographs was never returned.

Miss Bakshi said the victim of the first break-in had since installed CCTV cameras.

She described herself as suffering from paranoia following the "invasion" of her home.

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He 'rifled through children's belongings'

The second complainant, in a victim impact statement, spoke of her distress, heartbreak and anger at discovering an intruder had rifled through her children's belongings and having photographic "memories" on her mobile phone stolen.

Miss Bakshi said: "She was exhausted through lack of sleep and worry about not feeling safe in her home and anxiety about leaving the house."

The court heard that Abbott-Moore had 63 offences on his criminal record, mainly for dishonesty offences, including four house burglaries and other non-dwelling break-ins.

He was released from a three year sentence in March this year.

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What did the judge say?

"You've heard the prosecution read out the victim impact statements describing the very real trauma caused to innocent members of the public when they discovered their homes were entered unlawfully and property stolen.

"You'd only been out of custody for three months when you committed these offences of blatant daytime burglaries.

"A home should be a sanctuary, not somewhere people should go uninvited."

What was said in Abbott-Moore's defence?

James Bide-Thomas, mitigating, said: "He came out of prison in March clean of drugs.

"He was housed in B&B accommodation and after that the probation service couldn't find anywhere for him to live and he fell back into his old ways, getting addicted to heroin and cocaine.

"The amount of support for people coming out of prison was supposed to have improved, in theory, but in practice it's not the case."